Shadow Embraced (Haven #1) by Cheree Smith

Those words haunt Scar’s dreams. She thinks the creature that terrorises her while asleep isn’t real, but when she’s abducted and taken to a reform school meant to contain creatures too dangerous to function in society, she starts to wonder whether she isn’t some monster.

She turns to an underground fight club full of vampires, werewolves and witches established by the students to control her urges, and who is she kidding, she loves to fight.

When fighters begin to disappear, turning Scar into the prime suspect, she must race to prove her innocence before her true nature is exposed.

Vampires have existed in literature ever since the early 1800s. They might have changed a lot since the first story published the vicious blood suckers, but there is still a big appeal for them on the pages and on the screen in whatever new form they decide to take.

I have always loved vampire tales, no matter whether in written form or on the screen. I still remember when I was young and I used to sneak into the lounge room on a Friday night to watch the midnight horror movie hosted by Elvira the Mistress of Darkness and all those vampire movies where all the vampires stemmed from the more traditional notion of vampires. These vampires were considered nothing but soulless monsters that cared about nothing but quenching their thirsts.

Vampires have changed a lot since Dracula first hit the pages. Now it’s not uncommon to find swoon-worthy vampires blending in with society and choosing other blood sources rather than sinking their teeth into the flesh of human victims. No matter how much vampires change, one thing stays the same. They will always be dark and mysterious, and slightly dangerous even if they call themselves ‘vegetarian’.

I have watched and read a lot of vampire stories. If I would have to list my top five vampires I would choose:

Spike from Buffy (mmm, who doesn’t like a bad boy?)

Selene from Underworld (seriously this girl can kick some serious butt)

David from the Lost Boys (bad boy, bad vampire… for someone so bad, why is it so hard not to like him?)

Cheree Smith lives in a country town in Australia as a high school English teacher where she writes paranormal, horror and dark stories for young adults. She enjoys listening to and learning about legends and myths, watching scary movies and dreaming up new worlds where monsters can come alive. When she is not in her writing cave she can be found listening to music, even dabbling in the occasional writing of music or reading.